Worksheet Overview

QUESTION 1 of 10

In these questions, we have been given a grid and we need to work out the missing puzzle piece.

Grids can follow a pattern which goes across.

To find the missing puzzle piece, we first need to think about what the pattern might be.

Here are some example patterns and how they change in the grid:

Pattern

Example Grid

Shading gets lighter or darker.

Size of shapes gets bigger/smaller.

The shape turns.

Take a look at this example:

Which of the following images would complete the missing box in the grid?

a) b) c)

The pattern in this case is that the shapes get slightly smaller each time.

So the answer must be option b!

It’s now your turn to find the missing puzzle piece in grids.

Remember to work out what the pattern is in the top two squares, before applying it to the bottom two squares.

Good luck puzzle champ!

You may have practised filling in the bottom right-hand corner square, but any square in a grid can be missing.

Which of the following shapes do you think will best complete the grid below?

Which of the following shapes do you think will best complete the grid below?

Which of the following shapes do you think will best complete the grid below?

Which of the following shapes do you think will best complete the grid below?

Which of the following shapes do you think will best complete the grid below?

Which of the following shapes do you think will best complete the grid below?

Which of the following shapes do you think will best complete the grid below?

Which of the following shapes do you think will best complete the grid below?

Which of the following shapes do you think will best complete the grid below?

Which of the following shapes do you think will best complete the grid below?

ANSWERS

Question 1

You may have practised filling in the bottom right-hand corner square, but any square in a grid can be missing.

Which of the following shapes do you think will best complete the grid below?

CORRECT ANSWER

EDDIE SAYS

Whichever square of the grid is missing, we can approach it in the same way by looking at the patterns to the side in each row and above/below in each column.
In this grid, we can see that we have 3 circles.
The circles in the bottom row are the same colour but not the same size, as the left-hand circle is much smaller.
The top row has a larger grey circle in it.
From these observations, we can identify that we are looking for a smaller circle which is coloured grey.
For these reasons, option c is the best fit in this grid.

ANSWERS

Question 2

Which of the following shapes do you think will best complete the grid below?

CORRECT ANSWER

EDDIE SAYS

Did you take some time to observe first, like a truly top detective?
Hopefully, your observations led you to choose option b as your answer.
It matches the colour of the pattern displayed beneath it and matches the shape in the top row.

ANSWERS

Question 3

Which of the following shapes do you think will best complete the grid below?

CORRECT ANSWER

EDDIE SAYS

Did you choose option a?
This would be the best fit here.
It matches the shape and colour of the circle above and has the same dashed outline as the triangle to its right.
Well done if your detective eyes spotted that one!

ANSWERS

Question 4

Which of the following shapes do you think will best complete the grid below?

CORRECT ANSWER

EDDIE SAYS

We are in the top-left corner of the grid this time!
Option b is the best fit here.
On the bottom row we have a small black triangle and then a larger grey triangle.
On the top row we have a large grey cross.
We should expect that the missing shape in the grid would be black and small (matching the row below) and a cross (to match the image on its right).
Did you put those clues together puzzle detective?

ANSWERS

Question 5

Which of the following shapes do you think will best complete the grid below?

CORRECT ANSWER

EDDIE SAYS

What clues did you take note of this time?
Hopefully, your observations lead you to choose option c as your answer.
On the bottom row we have 2 triangles, identical in shape and colour but the right one has been flipped over.
We would expect the top row to follow this pattern, where the pentagon stays white but is flipped over.

ANSWERS

Question 6

Which of the following shapes do you think will best complete the grid below?

CORRECT ANSWER

EDDIE SAYS

Did you choose option a here detective?
This would be the correct choice.
On the top row of the grid, we have two shapes that are the same size. The left is grey and the right is black. They are also facing towards each other.
We would expect the next row to follow a similar pattern of grey shapes on the left and black shapes on the right, with the shapes facing towards each other.
As the shape on the right is an arrow, we would also expect the other shape on the bottom row to be an arrow.
Did those arrows POINT you to success?

ANSWERS

Question 7

Which of the following shapes do you think will best complete the grid below?

CORRECT ANSWER

EDDIE SAYS

Option b is the best fit for this grid.
Since the bottom right-hand shape has a solid black outline, we can assume that the top right-hand shape will match that.
The orientation of the frame in the top left is horizontal (sideways), so we would expect the missing shape to match that too.
Only option b has the correct orientation (horizontal) and the thick black border.

ANSWERS

Question 8

Which of the following shapes do you think will best complete the grid below?

CORRECT ANSWER

EDDIE SAYS

Did you take a moment to observe here before you picked an answer?
This is a great detective skill to practise.
Hopefully, your observations led you to choose option c as your answer.
On the bottom row we have two equals signs, identical in size, but the left is white and the right is black.
We would expect the top row to follow this same pattern where the left image is white, but the size and shape remain the same.
Were you EQUAL to this task shape detective?

ANSWERS

Question 9

Which of the following shapes do you think will best complete the grid below?

CORRECT ANSWER

EDDIE SAYS

Option a is the best fit in this grid.
The shapes on the right-hand side are the same size and type.
The oval on the top is white, but the one below is black.
So we are looking for a black shape to go on the bottom row, which is identical to the shape above it in the top left-hand square.
Only option a is the correct shape and colour, so this is the best fit.
Just one question to go grid superstar!

ANSWERS

Question 10

Which of the following shapes do you think will best complete the grid below?

CORRECT ANSWER

EDDIE SAYS

You probably spotted the answer straightaway here and then might have questioned yourself.
On the bottom left we have a white, 6-pointed star and on the bottom right we have a black, 5-pointed star.
Above this we have another white, 6-pointed star.
So in a row we need both a black and a white star - one that has 5 points and one that has 6.
So option b is definitely the best fit here.
Another way to think about this one is that the pattern on the right is an inverse reflection of the pattern on the left. This means they have the same shapes but the positions have flipped.
Well done for completing all these grids shape detective!
Hopefully, you are becoming more confident with spotting clues based on orientation, position, colour and borders.

Please provide your email address to download the guide

What is EdPlace?

We're your National Curriculum aligned online education content provider helping each child succeed in English, maths and science from year 1 to GCSE. With an EdPlace account you’ll be able to track and measure progress, helping each child achieve their best. We build confidence and attainment by personalising each child’s learning at a level that suits them.